Butternut Squash Soup

I could not wait for September 22nd to get here, the official first day of fall. Why? Because to me fall means soup, stews, stuffing, pies, squash, and pumpkins. So what I have for you today is a fall inspired butternut squash soup. Just thinking about it just gives me the warm and fuzzies!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 medium butternut squashed cooked/roasted

1 – 32 oz container of vegetable stock

1 cup of onions diced

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Salt and pepper to your taste

Extra virgin olive oil

Water

Shredded coconut (optional)

Roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

To start, we need to cook the squash, you need to remove the skin and seeds. Then cube and sauté in a pan with a little oil and water till it’s cooked (basically when you can easily poke it with a fork). Or you can roast the squash, which I think is easier and it makes your house smell amazing. Just split each squash in half, scoop out the seeds, lie face down on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Peel off skin when done.

Next you sauté the onion in some EVOO till translucent, set aside. Put your squash in the blender, (FYI, I had to do it in two batches). Pour in half the container of veggies stock and half the onions into the blender with the squash and purée til smooth. You may need to add some water. Once done add all the liquid to a large soup pot and set to simmer. Add the spices, the salt and pepper to your taste. Let boil for another 30 minutes and it’s done. So easy, right?

When serving sprinkle with some shredded coconut (I used unsweetened), and some pumpkin seeds for crunch. It looks as beautiful as it tastes.

I have to tell you, when I made my first batch I used chicken stock, what a mistake. It took away from the flavor of the squash. So I tried it again with veggie stock and it was perfect. Also, if you want to add some protein and creaminess to the soup, add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. It’s amazing, I promise. Enjoy!